The Pitch: UK experimental mathcore/djent act Zilf drop their most ambitious and quite frankly insane album to date.
What I Like: Zilf The Album is perhaps most simply described as the quirkiness of Devin Townsend and Mr. Bungle channeled through fans of djent and mathcore. I'm also picking up on notes of fellow UK band The Hell in terms of sense of humor and eclectic vocal delivery on tracks like "When the Cat Has Your Tongue" and "Zef." But really, this album is all over the place stylistically; and attempts to nail it down to any particular genre can only capture fleeting snapshots of the complete picture. Even bangers like "Endless," more in line with other underground mathcore like The Sound That Ends Creation, take detours into more serious, sorrowful clean-sung choruses that defy simple categorization. For every straight rager like "Kayak" or the D-beat driven "RIP in Peace," there is the bizarre counterweight of "Bowling Green Massacre," the swing-infused "Sangfroid," or burn it all down simplicity of "Tarantula Hawk." It's a lot to wrap one's brain around, but frankly, I'm thankful for the challenge.
Critiques: On that same note, this is definitely not for the casual listener. Some of these tracks are a little off the wall even for me, so I don't expect those looking for a simple mosh fest are going to get it. This is more for the Igorrr tier fans out there.
The Verdict: Zilf continue to prove themselves to be one of the oddest of the oddballs out there, and I deeply respect the level of experimentation that this band is willing to engage in seemingly regardless of how listeners will respond. It's definitely not for everyone, but those looking for something wholly unique will be rewarded.
Flight's Fav's: Endless, Kayak, RIP In Peace
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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